Audia Flight Three S

Audia Flight’s latest Flight Three S integrated amplifier is now available in Australia from well-known Melbourne-based distributor Absolute HiEnd.

‘The Flight 3 S is an incredible component, where every small detail is carefully thought out for the discriminating high-end audio enthusiast, and yet offers exceptionally high value,’ said Boris Granovsky, of Absolute HiEnd. ‘You can buy it in a ‘classic’ integrated version, or option in a USB 24/192 DAC and/or an optional MC/MM phono stage, plus there’s an onboard headphone output, so you can use it as a headphone amp.’

The Audia Flight Three S is rated with a power output of 100-watts per channel (8Ω) and 160-watts per channel into 4Ω, which it achieves by using a 600VA toroidal transformer to supply the a.c. for eight separate stabilised power supplies, four of which are high-current with 72000µF of storage for the output stages and a further 13200uF for the supply to the gain stage. Audia Flight says the amplifier is of ‘dual mono’ design and uses current feedback. ‘The preamplifier section is particularly sophisticated to allow the stunning sonic picture of a truly high-end system, with deep and incredible bass control,’ Granovsky told Australian Hi-Fi Magazine.

There are four unbalanced inputs and one balanced input, all of which have sealed relays in inert atmosphere and gold terminations. There’s also a by-pass feature, selectable by remote control, that allows you to turn the Flight Three S into a power amplifier through a specified input, so you are able to use the amplifier to drive the front left and right speakers in a 5.1-channel system, yet also using it to drive the same speakers for two-channel listening with a stereo source connected to the amplifier. There’s also a front-panel headphone output, a tape loop and a preamp output. The amplifier’s logic control is powered by its own toroidal transformer and is totally electrically isolated from the analogue section through the use of photo-couplers. Made entirely in Italy, the Flight Three S is available now.

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